One of the reasons it's taken me so long to update the Webbed Ink blog is that I'm a stickler for blogging with purpose. It takes time to create content - to really think about your readership and what they need and want and will respond to AND how all of that supports your business objectives.
The Elephant in the Room: What You Want
What business objectives is your blogging supporting? You might have a fuzzy idea of this in your mind - and that's awesome. Better to have a fuzzy idea than to have no idea at all. There are people who look back on their blogs and realize that blogging did nothing for them. But that only happens when people don't have a clear purpose for blogging to begin with. Don't get pressured into blogging or do it because "it's a must." There's a reason for blogging. Find it.
This is where blogging for business starts to makes sense - it's in supporting your business objectives. In order for your blogging efforts to support your business objectives, you need to incorporate them into the overall plan.
You need to be clear about what you want - beyond just more money, leads, customers, etc. Everyone wants that. How do you plan to get it?
When it comes to the web, it's all about content, so ask yourself,
"What kind of content can I create that will be of significant use to my intended audience, such that my brand will become important to them, and in a better position to present solutions that meet their needs?"
What Can Blogging Do For You?
It would be a massive, ridiculous error in judgment for me to sit here and tell you that blogging can do anything you want it to do. Instead of doing that, I will point you to Junta42′s Content Marketing Playbook. The reason there are so many strategies listed (42) is that they all do different things. Sure, some things cross over, but blogging is not the be-all end-all of content strategies.
That's why you don't start a blog and then ask yourself what you want it to help with. Instead, you determine first - how do I get to where I am trying to go with my marketing and specifically with content? What is the end goal?
Once you define that, work backwards. What makes the most sense in terms of content marketing strategy? If you choose to blog, know the ins and outs, good things and challenging things:
- It's a long-term commitment
- It requires writing skills (either yours, or borrowed)
- It can be used as a launching pad for several other content strategies - such as membership sites, online magazines, ebooks, or podcasts
- It can become the home base for connecting with your audience via other social media channels like Twitter or Facebook
- You can use a blog to introduce yourself to your target audience (especially good for consulting companies)
- You'll need an exit strategy
- You'll need to work the blog into the marketing plan, or create a sub-marketing plan for just the blog
Two great posts were published recently, one on reasons to blog even if no one is reading it, and another on ways to make blogging work for you. I suggest having a read of those posts but FIRST give some serious thought (I mean, more than a couple of minutes) to what your marketing strategy is and how you can use content marketing to support your business objectives. Download the Content Marketing Playbook I linked to above, as it will help get some ideas going.
Everyone is in business to make money. The difference between those who do and those who don't is the way in which they go about it.
Blogging Should Support Your Business Objectives is a post from: WebbedInkInc.com. © 2010. Share it freely, but please link back to this source.